You could call it the Wealthy Theatre neighborhood. Grand Rapids' answer to the Apollo, this iconic local theater has embodied the revival of one of the region's hippest neighborhoods and the growth of the local urban music scene.

Record shops are disappearing in the age of digital downloads. But those that remain are a basic and popular component of any vibrant city. NYC has Finyl Vinyl, Portland has Jackpot, and GR has Vertigo, Corner, and Dodd's

Call them green thumbs or urban farmers, more and more people are digging in Grand Rapids' dirt. But even though growing food locally strengthens communities and builds food security, it takes a committed city to make urban agriculture take off

Mainstream media is filled with stories about West Michigan's foreclosure crisis. But did you read the one about the savvy Grand Rapids nonprofit that rescued 300 mortgages and saved the Kent County community $15 million? Here it is

Green Drinks International, a network based on informal social gatherings for the environmental crowd, counts some 350 local chapters in cities worldwide. And Grand Rapids is now one of 30 members in the U.S. So what are you doing after work on the third Thursday of every month

We shape our public spaces, Winston Churchill once suggested, and thereafter our public spaces shape us. That means a plan and money to upgrade metro GR's underperforming parks is essential to the community's economic, environmental, and cultural vitality. Fortunately, the work already is underway